Experiment 68

Chapter 3

"You've finally discovered the solution," Max blurted out," What do we have to do?"
"You don't understand," the other Experiment lamented," We can't do anything. This situation has been out of our control for some time. The solution of this problem has to come from within. An individual from the inside may have the ability to help us escape this dreary prison."
"We don't even know who may be on the other side of those walls."
"We don't have to know."
"Why?
Max looked away to gather his thoughts. What was the older man thinking?
"Let me show you," he offered.
"Wait, stop. This doesn't involve anything dangerous does it?" Max shifted away from the Experiment.
"Just watch," he spoke, gritting his teeth.
The older man grasped his chest. His breath sputtered as air left his body. Max looked at him, confused. Experiment 67 continued to clutch his chest in pain. After a few seconds, he passed out on the forest floor.
Max ran over to his friend. He shook his arm twice to attempt to wake him. A loud beeping soon reverberated through the air. Max looked up towards the sky of their prison.
"Alert! Alert!" An emotionless voice howled,"Experiment 67 is in cardiac arrest! Assistance to the enclosure!"
Cardiac arrest?? What had the man done to himself?
A small hole opened at the apex of the cage. A small plane was soon visible in the sky. It was powered by a rapidly moving rotor. It spun through the air as rapidly as fire that devours books. The helicopter quickly touched down in the forest. Medics ran out to assist the fallen man. Max crossed his arms in front of his chest.
The medics did not even acknowledge his presence. One jabbed an I.V into the limp arm of the older man. A clear fluid began to flow into the Experiments arm. A second medic hurdled from the plane, briefcase in hand.
"We need logistics on this man!" The medic beside my friend screamed.
The black briefcase in the second mans hands was swiftly opened. Two files fell out of the case. The man grabbed the file on top and opened it to the first page.
"Experiment 67 age 65!" The briefcase man recited," No clear history of medical problems within his immediate family."
A third man entered the picture with a walkie talkie in hand.
"Ground to Control do you read, over?"
A voice reverberated through the air,"Continue, Ground."
"We have the other Experiment here as well," the man spoke," What do you advise, over?"
A brief silence ensued. Max mind raced across the possible things that they could do to him. Torture, slavery, forced marriage, execution.. The list went on and on. Had he reached his expiration date?
The man on the other end responded," Take him peacefully into custody. We need to make sure this event wasn't pre meditated."
Max's breathing sped up. His eyes bulged in fear of the unknown. After a few seconds of standing in front of his captors, he chose to run. He turned and sprinted into the bushes.
"Hey!" Some of the men exclaimed," Experiment 68! Stop!"
Max didn't know what compelled him to look back. Maybe it was fear, or a hatred for the men trying to restrict his freedom even farther. Whatever the reason, Max looked back. He saw his pale friend lying on the ground, an I.V protruding from his arm. He visualized all of the selfless love he had received from his only friend. He turned his head away from the scene as the perpetrators ran towards him. His friend would want him to escape. So Max ran as fast and as hard as he could into the trees.

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Run.. I must run to escape them... Tyrants... Lowly people to take away my freedom...
Max had resulted to mutter in his head. It had been only been about ten minuets since the skirmish in the clearing.
Had they taken him? My one true friend? Had they given up on finding me?
He continued to run through the trees.
What should I do? What should I do? I need a diversion. Yes, I need something to distract them. I need something to keep them from finding me.
Max saw a grouse walk out from behind a tree. It was very plump and healthy.
Perfect... he thought.
He slowed to a slow jog before the grouse was in clear sight. Max pulled his hunting knife from his belt. The blade whispered as it exited the sheath. To any souls viewing the scene they would see a perfect hunter. Max knew he had to stay downwind of the bird to be able to bring it down successfully. He took two steps before letting his knife fly.
The knife entered the bird directly in the breast. The animal squawked in surprise. Blood flowed from the open wound. Max was at its side in an instant.
"I'm sorry," he whispered before squeezing his own eyes shut.
He broke the birds neck, ending its short life.
Now I have a bargaining chip, he thought to himself.
He had never performed such a gruesome act before. He removed his knife from the animals breast. Max used the weapon to slit the grouses neck at the point where it had broken. Blood dripped from its neck. Max then chucked the dead bleeding bird into the forest on his right side.
This should divert them, he thought smugly.
Max sprinted in the other direction as if the devil was chasing him. He should put as much space as possible between him and the dead bird.

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"YOU LOST HIM!!!!" Victoria's father exclaimed.
Victoria fumbled around her working area. She didn't know what to say. The team she had sent into the area had allowed him to run into the forest. This was not her doing.
"I sent a team in after the universal alert had gone out," she explained as she fumbled frantically across her workspace," Experiment 67 is in medical as we speak."
"I need eyes on Experiment 68!" he yelled,"We can't let things like this slip by! If anything happens to 68 the blame will go on you!"
I sighed before returning to scan my empty monitor.